Wilting Lily's Petals
by lessthan3littleD
Summary: Lily's life was as good as one could get in Gotham. All she had to deal with was death and occasional depression, but when her parents are marked to be killed, her life is torn into pieces. Deals with sensitive topics and I'm open to any and all criticism.
1. Chapter 1

Lily ran the silky material of her light pink dress though her hands, savoring the touch. She had just left Bruce Wayne's party early, and was now packing away her things. She hadn't particularly enjoyed the party; it was a bit of a bore to her and she had somehow persuaded her parents to leave early. Her mother and father were highly respected judges in Gotham, so they were frequently invited to different parties and social events. She was just barely seventeen, but it was only proper for her to be seen out with her parents once in a while.

She looked around her room and sighed, placing the dress in a cardboard box, and picking up her stuffed duffle bag. This was the last time she would see her house in a while. Her family was being placed under protective custody by the police department for some reason. She didn't mind the extra safety precautions. She had seen what the madmen out there were doing and was glad she was going to be kept away from it. Two police officers had shown up at their house not twenty minutes earlier, instructing them to pack lightly and to follow the instructions in an envelope they gave to her father. She guessed this was all to protect her father and mother from any remaining gang members. Her parents had persecuted all Harvey Dent's mobsters and put them behind bars. Lily didn't see why they would come after her family; Mr. Dent was the one who caught all of the men, they would have been put away by any judge after what they had done. She was just glad that they could be kept safe now, even if there wasn't a big reason for it. It didn't matter anyways; she was headed out to Michigan in next year for college (she had applied even though she was a Junior, and had gotten into their advanced start program). She would finally escape the daily horrors of Gotham city.

Downstairs, Lily's father opened the large manilla envelope just as she entered the room. There was a lot of tension in their small kitchen as her father read the first few lines of the yellow paper to himself.

"Well," her father said adjusting his glasses, "It seems that we are next on someone's hit list. All of us, including Lily."

"How do they know?" Her mother asked after a moment's pause.

He read a little further, and his eyes widened slightly. He cleared his throat and said, "The man somehow got our DNA, and planted it on his last hit."

"He… he has our _DNA?_" Lily said in disbelief as the reality of the situation settled upon her. She felt like he had invaded her personal privacy, her life. She no longer felt secure, and she could feel the barriers keeping her safe from the outside world beginning to crumble around her. She turned back to the conversation when she heard her father say they had to go.

"Oh wait!" Lily exclaimed suddenly as she realized something, making them jump a little. "I forgot my photo album! Hold on, just let me grab it. You can go to the car, I'll be right down and we can head out." They nodded and grabbed their bags heading to the door. Her family lived in an apartment building so their car would usually be in the parking garage, but they left it on the curb after the officer had approached them.

Lily couldn't believe she had forgotten her album. It had all of her childhood memories in them. It also kept the people who she had lost, close to her heart even after they were long gone. She mentally kicked herself for forgetting it. She shoved it into her duffle bag quickly as she closed and locked the door to the apartment. She started quickly down the stairs when an explosion shook the building. Lily, who had already begun to lose her footing on the old steps before the blast, fell the rest of the way down to the lobby. Her large bag landed on her back. She rubbed her neck as she got up slowly, blinking her eyes to get rid of the fogginess.

As her brain cleared she realized what must have happened. "No, no, no," she whispered to herself over and over as she crawl-walked slowly to the heavy wooden doors leading to the outside. She pushed the door open and was met with a wall of black smoke. She slipped through the crack, ducked under the rising cloud and headed down the front steps, coughing.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her parent's car was almost gone and what was left of it was on fire, lighting up the early night sky. Lily sank down on the steps and let out a cry of despair. Her parents were gone. She couldn't accept it, and allowed the contents of her stomach to empty onto the curb in front of her. Her head cleared a little more as she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. She noticed in the light of the blinking streetlamp that the air and street was littered with little white cards. Getting up shakily, tears still blurring her vision, she crossed to just in front of the flaming car to where the cads were piling the highest. It was hard for her to bend, but she managed to pick up what felt like a playing card. When her eyes finally focused on the small designs, Lily knew who murdered her parents. Screaming, she threw the card down and ran back towards the apartment building. Still a bit disoriented, she tripped on the stairs and fell forward, her hands hitting the hard stone. She felt the stinging on her palms and knees, but just curled up where she was. She didn't care what happened to her. She wanted to die, so at least she could be with her parents. She couldn't even bring herself to check the car. Seeing their burnt corpses might have driven her to insanity.

Just across the street a looming figure was observing the scene in annoyance. He had watched as the two adults went to the car and got in, but the girl he was also supposed to get rid of was nowhere in sight. They started the car before she had gotten there, and his plan was ruined.

"You can't rely on anything these days," he drawled in a low voice, watching the girl figure everything out. "You have to do everything, yourself." The man pulled out a small tool that shinned menacingly when the light hit it. He crossed the street slowly as the teen hit the steps.

Lily heard the footsteps and slowly sat up, her sobs slowing to sniffling hiccups. The first thing to cross her mind was that it would be someone who was going to help her. She saw the shining blade of a knife out of the corner of her eye and her stomach dropped.

Black dress shoes that were spattered with a dark red substance and covered over in a thin layer of soot rested before of her face. Her eyes traveled up the purple suit that covered the man's body. The knife she saw earlier hung from his hand. The blade wasn't even the length of her hand, but looked sharp enough to cut through her bones. She continued her gaze upwards only to meet his dark empty eyes hidden deep in his black painted sockets. The rest of his face was painted white, but his mouth and a continuation from the corners of his lips were splattered blood red. The playing cards that were stil falling around him were adding to the already terrifying situation. He began laughing maniacally to match the grin on his face as he grabbed Lily by her brown ponytail. She finally found her voice when she shrieked as he pulled her to her feet by her hair, bringing her face two inches from his and pressing the knife to her throat.

He licked his lips and looked as if he was about to say something when his head jerked up to look up at something over hers. Lights had flicked on in some of the windows. The explosion must have woken some of the other tenants up, and now they were finally doing something about it. He acted quickly, pulling the girl temporarily into an ally next to the apartment.

Lily was pressed against the side of her building; she could feel the knife against her face, yet his other hand wasn't present, and must have been groping for something on his person. As a blinding light was shinned in her face, she knew what he had been searching for.

"Ohhh, look at you," the man breathed in her face. "Aren't you a pretty little thing." Lily squirmed against his body and his crazy laugh came back, softer than before yet just as bone chilling. She could feel his elbow pressing against her chest, keeping her pinned.

"I think," he continued, stroking her face with the cool blade, "we can have a lot more fun than just killing you now, hmm? You think so princess?" She whimpered under his gaze as his tongue slid across his bottom lip. She knew who he was, what he did. Lily had no idea what he wanted, but it had to be worse than the death she now longed for.

"What's your name princess?" She ignored the question, trying to focus on anything but her current situation. He grabbed her chin with his gloved hand and made her look him dead in the eye. "When I ask a question, you answer me sweet pea. Now, what is your name?" His voice was low and menacing, like he was about to explode.

"L-Lily," she said shaking.

"And do you have a last name to go with that first one, princess?"

"Shouldn't you know?" She spat, a little of her courage coming back. "You just killed my parents!"

He laughed in a creepy, low giggle kind of way. "Now sweetie, I don't remember everyone I kill, even if it was just a few moments ago." He pressed harder against her body, the knife drawing a small line of blood on her neck. "Last chance; what is your name?" He growled, slightly shaking her.

"Lily Surrillo." She choked out. The Joker's grip on her tightened. He licked his lips again, grinning; Lily could smell his foul breath.

A crowd had started to form outside the building. Lily could hear their wails and shrieks as they discovered who had been killed. The Joker had obviously noticed this too, because the flashlight was gone and he was searching for something else. He dragged her back into the street, firing two shots from the gun he had produced from his long purple coat. Two people dropped to the ground. People screamed and ran for the door as The Joker pulled Lily by the hair, screaming and flailing in his iron grip, out into the open. Some people saw her and yelled out her name in a foolish attempt to alert someone of her situation.

They were in the middle of the street now; a few cars narrowly missed them as they sped by. The Joker pulled her back flat against his front side, aiming the gun in his hand at an oncoming car. Lily watched in horror as the car screeched to a halt inches from where they were standing and The Joker shot the shocked driver through the wind shield. He bent Lily over the front hood, slamming her face into the still warm metal. Her taped her wrists together and shoved her into the passenger seat. She stared at the poor driver next to her, trying not to scream.

"Lily, Lily, _Lily_," he said as he crossed in front of the car, growling the last time he said her name. "You don't know how important you now are." He opened the driver's side door and looked down at the freshly dead body. "'Scuse me, I wanna drive," he said, pulling the body out of the car, giggling to himself. He got in and looked straight into Lily's fearful eyes.

"And you are now all, _mine."_

A/N:

Please, I would like some feedback! I have only ever written HP fanfiction, and never as explicit as this may get. I want to know if I should continue! I am open to any and all criticism!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but again, I haven't written anything as intense as this before. So yeah, be prepared for some possible awkwardness in the writing.

Lily personally never believed in "The Batman," but if there was any time she would have loved to be proven wrong, it was tonight. Her life had gone from close to perfect to a living hell in less than ten minutes, and it was all because of the man sitting next to her. He was currently singing some sort of nonsense to himself, just adding to the madness of tonight.

The Joker had shoved Lily into the car and she had somehow ended up sitting on her knees on the seat. Her feet were falling asleep and she wriggled her legs to try and get them out from under her, but there was no moving them against the rough material of the outdated seat. She tried to make herself comfortable, but it was hard knowing that the previous owner of the vehicle was dead.

The Joker's driving reflected his personality; reckless and insane. He was hitting signs, running over cones, dinging other people's cars, and if the police hadn't followed their path of destruction, they could probably follow the skid marks. Lily shrieked as she realized they were now on the wrong side of the road, and just barely missed hitting a large oncoming semi. The Joker was laughing like Christmas had come early as he took a sharp left out of the tunnel they had been in, causing Lily's head to smack against the glass window. The stupid man hadn't buckled her in to the seat, and she was using all her energy to stay upright despite his insane driving.

Once out of the tunnel and into the open night, Lily could see the Bat signal high in the sky against the foggy grey clouds that always seemed to loom over Gotham. She prayed that somehow the winged man would catch them. Or better yet, kill them.

The sound of sirens grew louder from behind them. The Joker looked out the back of the car and in the process drifted into the lane next to theirs, narrowly missing a passing minivan. Lily screamed, causing The Joker to giggle again. It seemed he got pleasure from her distress. Not a good sign.

The police were just behind them now, and they could hear gunshots ring out, some hitting the back of the car. Lily jumped with each hit, letting out a squeak every time. She tried to turn to look back, but the Joker grabbed her face with his smooth gloved hand.

"As much as I love your screaming princess, you need to be quiet now," he said shoving a package of tissues he found between the seats inside of her mouth, veering them into another lane again. More gunshots were heard.

The Joker pulled out a beaten up purple phone from his pocket and placed a call to hell knows who.

"Oh God, " Lily thought as tear streamed down her now messy face, "I'm going to die in this car before he gets a chance to kill me himself." She pressed her temple against the cool window. The Joker was saying something through the phone, something about needing backup, but Lily wasn't listening. She was praying. For the first time in her life she was putting her faith in something she had believed to be imaginary before. It was astounding her that she had decided to do this, but it just goes to show how hopeless she felt. Her heart had been torn from her chest, and she was now being pulled to an unknown fate which would be unmistakably riddled with pain. Her forehead was pressed against the cool glass, soothing her thoughts. She opened her eyes and strangely met another pair of bright green ones staring back at her.

The police had caught up to the Joker's commandeered vehicle and one was pulled up pretty close to Lily's window. The driver was staring at her with a grief and realization in his eyes that oddly gave Lily hope. She was going to be saved from whatever this madman was going to do to her. She tried to communicate to the young officer through her eyes as he talked through the radio set, no doubt about her. Unfortunately, her mental conversation was cut short.

"Head down princess," The Joker said, slamming her face into the grey dashboard. She felt his heavy arm lay across her back and heard the shots fired right next to her ear. The tissue pack still in her mouth made her screaming difficult, but she still cried out in fear nonetheless. She was surprised she wasn't deaf after he stopped shooting. Lily didn't dare look back up, but she knew the police were no longer there. There had been a couple of explosions and the sirens were gone after a few minutes, whether they decided to pull out or the Joker's backup had arrived, taking them out by force. She closed her eyes and fell back into a silent prayer, ignoring everything around her.

They pulled into a warehouse, and The Joker dragged her inside by her feet, scraping her head and upper back along the rough pavement. Lily was still screaming behind the tissues, but it didn't help her situation in any way.

She was pulled all the way to the back of the building into a small room. From her view on the floor, she could see a small cot and a window, but that was about it. The room was completely concrete, and the window was only about a foot or two tall placed at the top of the wall, so she figured she was in a basement. Funny, she didn't remember going down any stairs. She sat up the best she could so she wasn't sprawled out on the floor. She still wanted to keep what was left of her dignity for as long as she could. Her dark brown hair was falling out of her slick ponytail into her face, and she tried blowing it away as quietly as she could.

The tears had stopped now, but she could feel the tightness on her cheeks from the dried old ones that she hadn't been able to wipe away. The Joker was getting something from a corner table that she hadn't noticed before, and she began to shake in fear.

The tall man turned, and Lily was confused to see that he was holding a video camera. Then something clicked; she had seen his video of "Batman" on the news. He had tortured and humiliated the poor man, and then killed him. Was that what he was going to do to her? She didn't know how to react as he crouched down so that his dark eyes were level to hers. Lily wanted to turn and look away, but new better. Something was keeping their eyes locked with each other, and it scared her.

The Joker pulled out the tissue pack, allowing her to breathe again. The pack had her saliva on it and he threw it across the room. She took in large gasps of air so that she could get rid of the light headed feeling. His grin widened, and Lily's stomach twisted into a knot as he put the video camera onto the concrete floor.

All of a sudden he was on top of her, and she cried out in pain as her head smacked the dirty floor. She felt him pull down her jean shorts and reach into her underwear. She screamed and wriggled underneath him, but he held her steady.

"Don't worry princess, I'm just checking to see if you're still chaste," he said as she felt him feeling her, violating her with his covered fingers. She was whimpering from the discomfort he was providing her physically and mentally. His face was inches from hers, his scars stretching with his sly grin. She could smell the old paint on his face, he was so close.

"You _are_ still pure, princess," he said happily as he pulled out and wiped off his hand on a cloth he pulled out of a pocket in his coat. "You know what that means?" Lily didn't move. "It means you belong to me."

Lily's tears became a steady stream as he said those words. He was going to take what no one else would be able to after he was finished. She started sobbing after the gravity of what was coming fell fully on her mind.

"Shh, shh, shh, don't cry now princess." He stroked the side of her face, and she was puzzled momentarily by his care towards her. "There will be plenty of time for that later."

He got off of her after pulling her shorts back up. He grabbed the small camera again and turned it on; a ominous ding signaled that it had begun to record.

"Tell us your name," he said to her in his gravelly voice.

"Lily," she said hesitantly, not looking at the camera.

"Lily what?" He said with a bit of annoyance.

"Lily… Surrillo," she said still shaking.

"Look at the camera when you speak dearie," he said in a nicely, yet it still sent a chill down her spine. She forced herself to make eye contact with the lense.

"How old are you sweet pea?"

"Seven- seventeen," she choked.

"Who are your parents, princess?" He said with fake anticipation.

"Judges Mar-"

"Judges?" He interrupted giddily. "Oooh, they're important, aren't they?"

"Yes, they were!" Lily said angrily. If she was going to die, she decided she wasn't going to be remembered just as the crying little girl that was in one of the Joker's victim videos. "They were until you killed them." She looked at him, almost challenging him to do his worst. She didn't care anymore.

"Did I now?" He giggled. "Oh, yes. They were in the car, weren't they?" He growled. Lily dropped her head and a tear fell from her eye as the image of their burning car flashed in her mind. So much for being brave.

"Answer me!" Her head snapped up at his sudden outburst.

"Yes, they were you crazy bastard!" She yelled. Her eyes widened as she realized what she said. She felt a sting on her cheek and was sprawled across the floor on her side. Her hands were still tried behind her back, and she didn't bother trying to sit back up.

"Who do you belong to?"

She didn't answer. She knew what he wanted to hear but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Look at me princess." She moved her eyes slowly so they met his again, locking. "Who," he asked slowly in a low voice, "do you belong to?"

She took a chance. 'Let him kill me,' she thought. Lily took a deep breath through her nose. "No one."

"Wrong answer sweet pea."

He was on top of her again, straddling her so she was pinned on her back. He set the camera down on the floor so that it was pointed towards her. He grabbed her chin and made her look at him again. She was breathing heavily as he reached into one of his numerous pockets. He pulled out the small knife and she wriggled under him uncomfortably.

"You wanna play princess?" He said pressing the knife to her cheek.

"No," she squeaked.

"Oh, it's too late to back out sweetie," he laughed. The knife dug into her cheek and she screamed, kicking her legs. He ran it up her cheek, slicing a shallow cut into skin. He was growling and laughing, producing a terrifying sound over her shrieks as he started on the other side of her face.

He finished, and looked at her with his head cocked to the side, contemplating something. Lily was whimpering under him, trying not to move or stretch her face. The two cuts weren't deep, yet they hurt like hell. They felt straight, not curved, and they started just under her cheekbone continuing diagonally to the corner of her mouth. Oh god, he had given her his scars. He hadn't cut through her cheek, but they were like a mock of his, like deep scratches. If she did survive, she wouldn't ever be able to show her face again. He had made sure people would recognize her, know who she was on first sight.

"Not enough," he growled, and lifted her shirt so her pale quivering stomach was exposed.

"No, please!" Lily cried when he pulled out a smaller knife with a pointed tip in the center. He bent over her and began carving something a few inches under her ribcage, across her stomach. Lily was screaming, but soon her eyes began to close from the pain and blood loss. She wanted to die. She was ready to die.

"Oh no sweetie, you're not leaving me," he said as he smacked her face across the cut, and her eyes snapped open with an ear splitting scream. She was amazed that she still had any tears left in her.

What felt like an eternity later he was done. He got off of her and picked up the camera. Even though she wouldn't see it, tomorrow all of Gotham would be looking at her blood covered body with scars similar to, but not as intense as the Joker's. They would be struggling through the gore to read what was etched across her stomach: PROPERTY OF THE JOKER.

"See," the Joker said to the camera almost casually, "her parents were the Judges who sentenced all the Mobs that were ratted out. I was asked to mark them as my next hit. I was supposed to take her out too, but she was, ah, _lucky_ enough to avoid the explosion." He began laughing like mad. "She's not so lucky anymore now, is she?" He licked his lips. "This is a little, shall we call it, 'addition' to my ultimatum for Batman." He paused to catch his breath; it seemed he had gotten a little too excited from torturing Lily. "I'll still kill someone every day you don't tell us who you _really_ are, don't worry about that. But I think that when I'm finished killing, I'll have some _fun_ with this little princess here." He grinned wickedly at the camera, bringing it closer to his face. "How's that on your conscious Bat Brain." He let out a high pitched laugh as he turned the camera on Lily again, leaving tomorrow's viewers with a last look at the Joker's new victim.

A/N: So please leave a review. I really need help in this style of writing. Even if it just says "cool story" or "this stinks," I can appreciate it. Really, anything helps, and I can handle heavy criticism.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this chapter may seem filler, but it really isn't. I took a slightly different approach when writing this one, and I haven't reread it too many time before uploading, so make sure you tell me what you think! Stepping out of my comfort zone here people! Okay... go**

Bruce Wayne woke up with a mind-splitting headache. It took him a while to sit up, and he thought it might have been from the weight in his head until he remembered last night. Looking down at his abdomen he saw the hastily sewn stitches that he had given himself to stop the bleeding from the Joker's shoe knife. The blade had somehow found a small chink in his armor that he would have to ask Lucius about later. Groaning, he got up and hobbled over to the bathroom to take some painkillers to subdue the aching throughout his whole midsection.

After he took a shower and put on some clean clothes, the painkillers had finally begun to take action and rinse his body of the soreness for the time being. He turned on the TV to the news, and saw that the clock in the bottom corner read 5:24 PM. "Damn," he thought, "I must be getting old." He chuckled to himself. He sat down on the bed to put on his socks and shoes when the sound of a breaking news report caught his attention. He looked up from his half-socked foot to see the clean-cut reporter on the screen looking somber.

"It seems as though after crashing Bruce Wayne's fundraising party last night," the man was saying in an official voice, "the man now known to Gotham as 'The Joker' decided to cause terror elsewhere in the city, after he was unable to kill Harvey Dent. Judge's Mark and Kathy Surrillo's car has been found, but only the remains." A video of the cops investigating what looked like a car that had exploded played across the screen, and the man continued talking over it. "Only what remains of two bodies have been recovered from the scene, and the two Judges are confirmed to be dead. The street was covered in partially burnt 'Joker' cards, confirming the killer." The reporter went on to explain how the Judges had been trying the mobs that had just been taken down by Harvey, but Bruce's mind wandered back to last night. He had just seen the two of them at his party, and didn't know how they had gotten out without being seen by the Joker. They must have gone down the stairs, or something of the like. He looked back at the screen.

"-Police have begun the search for their daughter, seventeen year old Lily Surrillo. She was not found in the burnt car with her parents, and witnesses say that she was seen in the captivity of The Joker himself when he fled the scene. The only evidence they have of her whereabouts were found in the video we have been demanded to show you. The contents of this next clip are severely disturbing, and we recommend that those who do not like the sight of blood, and all children, to leave the room at this time." The video began to play, and what Bruce saw began to tear at his heart. There was Lily, sitting on the floor of a dirty grey room, hair disheveled and tears running down her face. The video began to play out like the fake batman one from yesterday; he began asking her questions and she would weakly answer. Until he asked about her parents. She got a bit fiery, and Bruce knew what he Joker did when he was beginning to lose his grip on his victim's emotions; he would take her down a notch, painfully.

The video shook until it looked like the camera was on the ground, pointing at the side of all of Lily's upper body. As The Joker carved her up, Bruce let his mind wander to their encounter last night to keep it off what was happening on the screen.

_Through the glass door Bruce could see that everyone was dressed in dark party dresses or suits. He entered and gave his speech about Harvey, which contrary to what Rachel thought afterwards, was sincere. He meant every word, and believed he may actually be able to hang up the suit if Harvey was out there cleaning up Gotham. As he reentered the party after his chat with Rachel, his eye caught a glimpse of rose pink off in the corner, standing out among the other guests' attire. It was a young girl, maybe in her teens, looking into her glass, which she was currently swirling around just to see the ice get caught in the whirlpool of expensive punch. She seemed bored, so Bruce took the opportunity to talk to the curious looking, out-of-place girl._

"_Enjoying yourself?" He asked, causing her to jump slightly. She looked up, her eyes inquisitive._

"_At the moment, not particularly," she said slowly, trying to sound nice. She must have known who he was, and didn't want to sound rude. He chuckled, and she looked at him like he had three heads._

"_Amused, Mr. Wane?" She asked airily. "I'm sorry if you expected all of your guests to be having a grand time, but I don't think that I'm the gala type."_

"_I didn't think a young girl such as you to even be in attendance tonight," he said taken a little off guard by her confidence._

"_I'll have you know, I'm seventeen, hardly a young girl."_

"_Well when you look at it from my perspective, you are definitely young," he said smartly._

"_Fine, I'll give you that. How about we settle for young woman then, hm? How's that for your liking?" She looked at him, ready to gauge his reaction._

"_Perfect." She smiled. This girl, erm, young woman, obviously didn't like to be underestimated._

"_I didn't seem to catch your name," Bruce said, realizing he was being a little inconsiderate._

"_Lily." She extended her small hand to him. "Lily Surrillo."_

"_Ah, so that's why you are here," he said, the pieces coming together. "Your parents are very important to Harvey, so it only seems fit for them to be at his charity ball."_

"_That you threw, may I add," she said, not missing a beat. "And yes, I suppose it would be strange for them to not be here, with all they have done for him. I guess I had to show my face once in a while, so I chose to grace your party with my presence." She bowed slightly in a comically dramatic way, waving her empty hand in small circles. He smiled at her strange personality. _

"_So, Mr. Wayne, is there anything you do other than entertain the wealthy and make billions?" She asked slyly._

"_Well I do enjoy boating, I guess," he said, racking his brain trying to remember what he did before Batman._

"_Now are you driving said boat or do you have someone do that for you?"_

_He chuckled. "I like to drive it myself. Gives me a certain rush," he said simply, thinking of when he drove the tumbler._

"_I know the feeling." He looked at her surprised. _

"_Do you now?"_

"_Yeah. I have had a few brushes with criminals before. Nothing too big, just muggings and the like. There was a certain feeling of excitement when I could escape, and get back to my home without a scratch."_

"_I see. So you can handle yourself then." _

"_Oh yes. I took it upon myself to enroll in a few self-defense classes. I know what's out there Mr. Wayne. There is only so far a seventeen year old girl can walk on her own in these streets, and I am determined to walk farther than the average." She had a look of determination that impressed Bruce._

"_Well Ms. Surrillo, I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alleyway," he joked lightly, and she smiled. He was about to continue when his phone rang._

"_Sorry, but I have to take this," he said, noting the caller I.D. "It was nice talking to you Ms. Surrillo. I hope to see you again sometime."_

"_It's alright. Maybe I can convince my parents to leave early." She curtsied, and as she looked back up he saw the smile of amusement across her face. She walked away slowly, a little inexperienced in her high heels. Smirking, he took the call and hurried off to find Harvey. _

He had enjoyed talking to her, having a normal conversation for once. In no way was he attracted to her; that would be pedophilic. Besides, he had Rachel to wait for. No, their short lived relation seemed more like a fatherly friend. She was funny, yet polite, and it intrigued him. In fact, he hadn't remembered seeing her when the Joker had made his entrance. He had been relieved that she wasn't in any danger; he couldn't stand it when the youth of the world were threatened. Now, seeing her lying there, helpless with her body marred by the Joker seemed to be a personal blow to him, not Batman. The Joker was claiming her as his own property, and he couldn't take it. He barely caught what the Joker was saying at the end, about not killing her just yet. He didn't know if he should be relieved by that or feel even worse. Most likely the later.

Bruce knew he should have continued on when he saw the bat signal. Instead he had decided to continue home and stitch himself up. He would never forgive himself if she died. It was his fault, he probably could have stopped the kidnapping.

He began planning her rescue as he rushed to his computers to study the clip a little better. He wouldn't let her suffer, not anymore than she already had.

** Alright, so I'm writing the next chapter and need to know: **

**a. The memories thing was cool, and I should do more of the flashbacky type stuff**

**b. Don't do flashbacks, stick to present time.**

**Just comment a or b in the revies box, and it will help me write the next chapter quicker! I'm knida stuck at a fork in the road and I need you opinions! (and if you have your own ideas, let me know!) A big thanks to anyone who has already reviewed! Your praise (and criticism) helps get this written faster!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: WARNING- This chapter deals with depression, suicide, and rape. Please, if you don't like this, don't read it. I don't want to offend anyone. This is something out of my comfort zone, so be prepared for some possible for awkwardness.**

Everything was a haze. Her head felt like it was in two pieces, melting into the hard floor below her. Her arms felt heavy but she made an effort to bring at least one hand up to her face to rid her eyes of the yellow crust that was all over her eyelashes, keeping them stuck together.

"Where the hell am I?" she said to herself. When her eyes were finally able to open, last night came flooding back to her. She remembered everything. She didn't want to look at her wounds, not yet. Peeking out the window, she could already see the sun setting. She must have been asleep sense right after_ he _was done with her. That put her at around eighteen hours of sleep, and yet she was still in pain and tired as she slowly sat up.

Lily looked down to her lower half. At least it seemed like her shorts were still intact, and he had left her alone after the video was finished. She lifted her hand to her cheek slowly, and winced when she touched the long slit. It had a slight scab already forming where he had cut. At least she didn't need stitches, but there would definitely be scars forever. When he had been cutting it felt deep, and it was definitely painful. She could see over in the corner of the room there was a bloody rag. Maybe he had cleaned her up. This didn't comfort her in any way. In fact, it reminded her of the Princess Bride; Wesley was healed before he was tortured so that the pain would be even worse later.

Little by little she brought her fingers under the bottom hem of her shirt and carefully brought it up to just below her bra line. Her eyes were closed tightly as she tilted her head down, and brought one hand to her stomach. She felt similar scabbing, but they were very scattered. She slowly opened her eyes and stared in shock at the upside down words, feeling them gently with the tips of her first two fingers. It took her a while to read the words, but once she got halfway though she didn't feel the need to continue. She was disgusted. She was disgusted with herself, with _him_, and with this city. No doubt they had seen the video he had made already, why weren't they busting down the doors to this place?

Okay, maybe she was expecting too much; after all she only knew about the inner working of federal agencies from her crime-drama shows. But she was desperate, clinging onto anything that may spark a ray of hope in her rescue. Her hands were now flat across her stomach, trying to cover the words that her eyes would not move from. Strangely, there were no tears falling from her eyes. There was a feeling of overwhelming disappointment in the pit of her stomach, bubbling up into her chest. That mixed with a returning searing pain from the cuts almost made her pass out again. Her experience with the stilettos last night was just a slight pinch compared to this.

She wasn't dead, that was for sure. He had made sure of that. He was going to make her suffer, and she didn't know why. What had she done to deserve this? Was he trying to prove that he could take down a weak teen? Yes, she did know a little self-defense, but that wouldn't do anything against a knife. He could plunge it into her at any given moment.

She thought about it for a while. Would she rather die than stick it out and maybe be rescued? Who did she have? Her parents were gone. Her tendency to always have her unmanageable, wavy hair up in a ponytail and never keep up with fashion trends caused her to be shunned by the popular click, and ignored by most of the school. She never had a boyfriend or any crushes, no one to return to if she made it out alive- except for Sarah. Oh yeah, Sarah. How had she forgotten her best friend and savior? When they had lost Megan, the third part to their former trio of friends, Lily had slipped into a depression. She had almost killed herself, but Sarah was there.

_The bottle was in her hand, just waiting for her to open it. Her jeans were dotted with tears that had slid off of her cheeks. She had known Megan for ten years. Ten years, and now she was lost, gone to the lead bullet of some petty bank robber. If only she had walked to the bank with her that day instead of waiting at the school for her mother to come and pick her up, maybe she could have helped her, gotten her out somehow. All Lily knew was that it was her fault; she was to blame that her friend was now sitting in a storage freezer in some police morgue, waiting to be examined. Megan was there and she was here with an old bottle of prescription pills her parents had forgotten to throw out sitting in her hands. All it would take was a push and twist to open the cap, and the chew and swallow of the little white pills to bring her back to her friend. The palm of her hand was cupped around the cap, ready to twist when there was a knock on her door. She didn't answer, unsure what to do. Her parents couldn't have been back yet, so she ignored it._

_The cap was off now and another knock came, louder and faster this time._

_She dumped the pills into her shaking hand, tears falling from her chin. There was another short knock, a worried yell, and the handle rattled as it twisted and the door flew open, banging lightly against the wall._

_There was a ringing in her ears as Lily's full hand neared her face. All of a sudden she was flattened against her bed and the pills were knocked from her hand, making a rain-like noise as they scattered across the wood floor of her room. Lily was screaming and flailing her arms around until her attacker pinned them next to her head. Lily silenced and looked through her tear filled eyes at the person on top of her. _

_Sarah was looking down at her, crying. Later Lily learned that she had come over to be there with Lily, hoping to give and gain some support during the loss of their friend. Now, they just laid down staring at each other, letting their emotional tidal waves crash into Lily's small room._

How could she give up? Sarah would be left alone, and it would all be her fault if she just gave in to the Joker. No, she had to fight on, for Sarah. All they had left was each other. Lily couldn't leave Sarah with just her abusive father; she would end up killing herself, like Lily had almost done. They could run away, far from Gotham, and start a new life free of worry and pain. Maybe they could even start their own families, find joy in their lives for once. Thinking about her hopeful future kept her mind away from the present, and soothed the pain that had been subconsciously growing in her chest.

Lily looked around the small room; there was a rusty bed frame and a dirty mattress in one corner and an empty table in the opposite one. She noticed a doorway leading into a tiny bathroom for the first time, but reeled when she leaned over to look through the frame. Inside there was a toilet, but the floor had too many stains to count, and there was something dark dripping from the clogged bowl of the once white sink. Just looking into the small room seemed to bring a disgusting smell to her nose. Thankfully it was located off the far wall from where everything was located, so Lily couldn't see in unless she was near it. She scooted backwards on her butt to the wall that had the small window located near the top of it, and realized for the first time that her hands had been untied. She rubbed her wrists unintentionally, and leaned against the cool concrete, staring at the door leading to the rest of the warehouse.

The room continued to darken as Lily tried to ignore the twisting pain in her abdomen. She periodically brought her hands up to her wounds stretched across her cheeks. It didn't seem real to her, she couldn't help herself from touching the cuts. There was suddenly some yelling from just outside the door. She touched her forehead to her bent knees, letting her brain just fall forward trying to relax as much as she could. There was a gunshot and everything was silent as she braced herself for whatever was going to happen.

The door slammed open. Lily's head shot up and her legs straightened out so that they were flat against the floor. The Joker stalked into the room, slightly hunched over and almost snarling at the space above her head. He looked down to her and growled. Lily looked into his dark hooded eyes shaking, but trying to keep her deep fear hidden.

His face relaxed a bit as he crouched down over her legs. He grabbed her chin and roughly moved her head back and forth, examining her cheeks.

"Not bad, not bad," he said softly. He patted her cheek firmly with his gloved hand, shooting pain through her face. She winced and he stared at her intently, putting his hands on her thighs and his knees on the ground so he was straddling her. She was shaking slightly as her ran his hands up her legs.

Her hands felt awkward just sitting by her side as he touched her. Her mind was screaming at her to do something, but it was also telling her that she would pay if she did. She turned her head to the side as his hands crept up to the top of her shorts, playing at the hem. She saw him grin slowly out of the corner of her eye, and she shook even harder. He grabbed her neck and dragged her upwards against the wall. Her scream of pain was silenced from the force on her throat as her back scraped against the dirty cement.

The Joker brought his face two inches from hers, exposing his yellowing teeth right in front of her eyes, his putrid breath invading her nose. He pulled her shirt off in one fluid motion and she shivered, feeling helpless against him. He brought his face to her stomach and Lily cried out when he began tracing the carved words with the tip of his cool knife. Her stomach quivered and sucked in from the harsh memories that were resurfacing quickly. When he giggled it seemed as though he was reliving an excited memory, and Lily felt a panicked tear fall from her chin.

After a few minutes he swiftly pulled down her shorts and she screamed from the new exposure. She moved away from him, scaling the wall towards the table. He giggled at her fright, and dragged her now fighting body over to the bed by her waist. He flung her down on her stomach and placed his hands on her back and head, painfully pinning her into the mattress.

Her face was pressed into the dirty sheets, slightly smothering her. She was having a hard time breathing, and he finally flipped her over after a few moments of laughter. She hadn't realized, but he had unclipped her bra when she was flipped on her stomach and it was now being pulled off. She shivered, bringing her arms up to her exposed chest as she pleaded for him to stop. She began fading away when she saw him pulling off his suit. Her mind was closing, not letting her see the events that seemed to be happening. Her lower body felt colder and exposed; she was vulnerable and weak. It seemed that all of her senses were slightly hindered, and her sight was gone altogether. She could hear and feel things, yet it felt like a dream; no, a nightmare. It seemed that her mind was trying not to accept what was currently going on, yet she felt her arms pinned beside her head and legs forced apart.

Then there was pain; a searing, splitting pain stabbing vertically through her midsection. She was screaming and begging but it wasn't stopping. It seemed as though it was unstoppable and determined to tear her in two. The pain wouldn't stop and Lily struggled against the force that was holding her down. All she could see was black, and she felt like she was dying. Dying couldn't be this painful though, could it? If she was dead, wouldn't she be happy or at least free of pain? But the hurting ache continued. She couldn't stop sobbing and screaming, and then finally the thing that created the pain stopped. The hurting ache continued though, as she slipped into a painful unconsciousness. In her last moments of awareness, she heard the evil man whisper gruffly in her ear. "I said that you'd belong to me. Now you really do."

**A/N: I've never written something like this before, so please let me know if it's okay, or if it's too awkward. Just leave a review and it will make my day even if it is criticism. **


	5. Chapter 5

The cool wind whipped around the frail girl as she trudged to her bus stop through the almost flooded street. The rain that was still falling caught in the wind and stung her face as she walked into the storm. She pulled thinning coat tighter around her and kept her face down until she stepped onto her smelly but warm bus, and took the open seat in the very front.

The girl sniffed a little and brought her hand to her face only to realized how wet it was. The tears were so mixed with the rain on Sarah's face when she went to wipe them off with her sleeve that she didn't bother trying to differentiate the two. She was still in a state over her best friend. Lily had texted her the night she was leaving for the safe house, but when Sarah had snuck into the living room the next day to watch some TV before her father got home she had seen what had happened to her friend on the news.

Her dad was abusive, and Lily was the only one who knew about it, but nothing her father ever had done compared to what Lily had gone through in those ten minutes of the video. Sarah almost couldn't watch the whole thing, and ended up losing her small lunch on their stained bathroom floor after it was over.

She took her time walking into the school. Her stomach felt like it was being twisted into her lungs, and she was having slight trouble walking. People were staring as she walked through the halls; they all knew she was friends with Lily. Some were sympathetic, but some were smirking like they knew a dirty little secret. She felt them walk up behind her as she turned a corner, keeping her head down.

"Hey freak, where's your friend?" One of the taller athletic guys sneered. She tried to ignore him as a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

"Don't be stupid Jake," a curvy dark girl, Emma, chimed. "_Lily_ is spending some quality time with her new boyfriend." The group snickered and Sarah walked faster.

"Really?" Jake asked in fake confusion. "I didn't think anyone would ever want _her." _The group laughed harder.

"Looks like you're gonna have to get a new girlfriend, huh Sarah?" The brunette, Brianna, said to her, bringing their frequently used lesbian insults into the mix. Tears were running down her cheeks as she looked up and saw a teacher, Miss Kimmel, standing just outside her door, looking at Sarah in distress. She motioned with her hand for Sarah to come into her room. Sarah quickly stumbled into Miss Kimmel's room, earning a few more laughs from the group.

"Aw, look at the little lesbo running to a teacher," Sarah heard Emma laugh as she shut the classroom door. Their giggles could be heard down the hall as they walked away. Sarah slowly turned away from the door and looked at the young blonde teacher.

"Thank you," she croaked out, grabbing a tissue to dab her face. Miss Kimmel walked over to her and embraced her in a motherly hug. She was Sarah and Lily's favorite teacher, and always seemed to understand the two of them. She could shut Emma and Brianna up all while teaching about the Boston Massacre.

Teachers-student relationships were different at Gotham County High. Many of the teachers ignored or even feared some of the kids that attended. Kids really controlled what happened there, and the more power your parents had, the more power you had. Emma's father was Police Commissioner Loeb, and Brianna's father was Mayor Garcia. They were treated like royalty in the school, and they could choose anyone they wanted for friends, although they usually choose those who also had influential parents. They hated Lily for being friends with Sarah; the daughter of two widely respected judges, friends with a daughter of a narrows dweller? Disgusting, in their opinion. So they harassed the two daily, calling them sluts, whores, lesbians, even fat and then too skinny. It seemed as though they hated Lily and Sarah just for the sake of hating them.

Miss Kimmel stroked Sarah's pixie-cut red hair as she tried to calm the girl down. She held Sarah at arm's length and smiled at her. Giving Sarah a protein bar from her purse she guided her to the door, sending the skinny girl off to her first class with a few reassuring words.

She sighed as she shut her classroom door for her open first block. That girl had gone through too much already, and now without her friend Miss Kimmel was surprised she was still at school. Not many kids seemed to care when a child disappeared from school; it was a weekly occurrence. Usually it was because they decided to join a gang or had overdosed, either on purpose or from addiction. Sometimes kids were just killed on the streets. Life went on at the high school; the friends of the victim would grieve but would eventually move on. Lily's case was different though.

Lily was respected by all her teachers and most of the students, although she chose to only associate herself with Sarah and occasionally a few others. Her case was different because she had not died; she was still out there living through hell. Usually, if a child was killed it was just a random mugging or a regular criminal, like Megan's death. Lily was a hostage of a notorious mass-murderer of whom no one had any idea as to what his motives were. The kids couldn't just move on from this because the story could be on the news for a long time, and there was the chance that Lily would return, and most wouldn't know how to handle it. She would be scarred both physically and mentally, and the kids would be uncomfortable with that. Killings were normal, but if you throw off the balance of things, only chaos and disorder could ensue.

The rest of Sarah's day was filled with the sympathetic looks and torments from the elite's children. She let out a sigh of relief when she got to band after school. She could get her mind off of everything and just focus on music.

She sat down with her flute in the front row of the slightly cavernous room and pulled out her music just as the director clapped his hands to get the ensemble's attention.

"Alright everyone, before we start warm-ups I want to address something that has most likely been on everyone's mind today," he said in a soft voice, and Sarah shifted uncomfortably already knowing what was coming. He cleared his throat.

"As most of you probably know already, whether it had been by word of mouth or the news, one of our own is in a situation that none of you could really ever imagine. Lily Surrillo is now in the captivity of a man who calls himself "The Joker." There was a chorus of creaking as the whole room shifted in their seats a bit. "Now I know there isn't much we can do about it, but I know you will keep her and her friends in your hearts, or prayers, or whatever it is that you do. We are a family, and it's our job to care for one another. Now, let's warm up, shall we?" He nodded to the drum major. The mellophones, Lily's section, were notably tearing up a little. Sarah jumped a little when she felt something soft on her hand. She looked down and saw that the freshman who sat next to her was patting it lightly. Sarah and Lily were really each other's only friends after Megan had died, but there was always that mutual family feeling that everyone in the band had for each other. Once the rehearsal got going though, Sarah forgot about what was happening and just concentrated on the music.

After practice was over, a girl Sarah had never met walked up to her.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Lily," she said softly. "I'm Jesse. I'm in her section." Sarah nodded. "I just wanted to let you know that if you needed to talk, I'm here. Lily and I were friends; probably not as close as you, but still I knew her fairly well. If you want to get together sometime, just let me know," she said with a smile. Sarah let the corners of her lips curl upwards lightly. This girl would make an excellent guidance councilor or psychiatrist.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Sarah said.

"No problem. Hopefully she'll be back soon, right?"

"Yeah. I've got to go," Sarah said looking at her phone in her faintly shaking hand. "I have to get home before it gets dark. Thanks again, I let you know if I need to talk."

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye." Sarah headed off towards the narrows by foot. She didn't have enough money for a bus so she would be trekking it. Jesse seemed like a nice girl, and Sarah was really grateful that she now possibly had someone to vent to. Even if she didn't really know this girl too well, they were all part of the same family and she also knew Lily. Maybe it would be good for her.

Sarah picked up her pace as it started to get darker. She was nearing her home, but the narrows were no place to be after dark. The sun was gone as she passed the small abandoned shirt factory.

'Almost there, almost there," she repeated to herself as she crossed the clearing in front of the building. After that all she needed to do was cross an intersection and go down her street and she would be home. Her heart was pounding throughout her body; she _really_ didn't like the dark.

A muffled scream came from the direction of the old building, and Sarah stopped dead in her tracks, paralyzed by a gripping fear. Another came, longer this time and she was ripped from her shock as she began sprinting to her home. She screams continued, but Sarah couldn't tell if they were real or just echoes in her mind.

She made it to the small shack-sized place her father owned and caught her breath before she entered. She slowly opened the door and tip-toed down the hall. She shut her bedroom door quietly behind her and hoped that her father was sober tonight.

**A/N: Hope you liked this little view into what school is like for Lily and her friend Sarah. Let me know what you think, and if I should continue because I have two different ideas as to where this story should go and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. More reviews = I'm more motivated to write. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for not updating in FOREVER. This is a short chapter but I'll tell more at the end…**

Freezing air nipped at her exposed skin. Her mind was blank, and yet full of a feeling of terror. She crawled her way out of the darkness, inch by inch, clawing at the smooth edges of her mind. When her eyes finally snapped open she screamed. The pain still lingering throughout her body was too much for her to take. She curled her body into a fetal position, hugging her middle and burrowing her head into her knees. Lily could feel that she had both pieces of her underwear back on, plus her shorts.

She couldn't remember what had exactly happened the other night, but she had the gist of what had gone down. Wincing thought the pain she ran her hand over the scars on her stomach, still marveled by their existence. Her toes were tingling from the cold. So much for the shorts weather she had assumed was sticking around when she had picked out her outfit. The bed really smelled and she had a hard time breathing through the stench and thin air, but those were the least of her problems. Her mind had shut down the other night, or whatever day it had been, and she couldn't remember a thing other than pain. She knew what he had done, but not knowing everything terrified her. She didn't know why this was because she hadn't had to suffer through everything, but not knowing about a piece of her life was chilling. She shivered at the thought, and from the temperature.

From what she was able to observe before she had blacked out, it didn't seem as though he had enjoyed himself while he was doing what he had. He enjoyed her fear and her pain, but he had done it as an act of claiming her as his property. There was no emotion, no love or pleasure. He was only asserting his dominance and strength. Marking his territory just as an animal does to an area of land. Lily didn't know what to think of that.

Glancing across the room, she saw her white blouse in the corner. Dragging herself to the edge of the bed, she tentatively put her feet down on the cool floor. She pushed herself up weakly, throwing her body weight to aid her arms in the effort. Her legs couldn't take the sudden weight, and she fell to the floor with a crash.

She moaned in pain, rubbing her elbow. Her hands hadn't been quick enough to brace herself from the fall. Giving up, she just crawled over to her shirt. It was dirty, a little bloody and ripped, but it was still familiar to her, and slightly comforting. She threw it over her head and pulled it down slowly. Her shoes were nowhere to be found, so she rubbed her toes in an effort to warm them up.

The door creaked open and she scurried back into the corner, afraid of his looming presence. He chuckled at her weakness, and took quick heavy steps towards her.

"I thought I recognized your screams princess," he drawled, crouching and tilting her chin up with his gloved hand. "You really are a heavy sleeper. You have been out for a few days now!" He giggled and turned away, flicking his fingers from under her chin as he did so. "You know, you really should do something about that."

She stared at him in disbelief. Was he bipolar or something? Maybe just power hungry, but with the damage he had done already, why hadn't he taken over the city already? Her thoughts faded away as he approached her again and dragged her up off of the floor.

He spun her so her back was against his front. She flopped around like a rag doll, too weak to protest in any way. Her head rolled around lazily, and he fastened a piece of cloth around her eyes

"You don't get to see where we are going this time sweetheart," he said casually as he tied her hands with a rough rope. "But I'm afraid I'll be leaving you this time." She stumbled as he led her presumably out of the room.

"It's been fun princess," he said, pushing her into another set of burly arms. "But I've got to go. I've got attorneys to murder; thing to blow up." His voice was growing distant when his footsteps suddenly stopped. "You know, if you're lucky, maybe you'll catch the fireworks." His insane laughter echoed down the hall as he left her with the stranger she couldn't see.

"All right let's go," the man said gruffly, pushing her down the hallway. She stumbled as far as she could before tripping, and he just grabbed her off of the floor and picked her up bridal style. After a while she felt the cool night air hit her, and then it was gone as she was dropped onto a carpeted surface. She heard the man close the car door and hit the roof twice, and the vehicle headed off to where ever she was being taken.

**Again, sorry for not updating in forever! I just didn't have any good inspiration then I had to make a huge decision on which way I wanted to go with the story. Sorry for it being so short but I think I know where it's going to end so updates may be soon? I dunno… reviews are welcome!**


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